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MasterChef New Zealand contestant Christine Hobbs - Source: ONE News -
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Christine Hobbs is the first of the top 12 contestants to be eliminated from TVNZ's MasterChef New Zealand series.
The top 12 contestants moved into a luxury home on Auckland's North Shore and faced their first cooking challenge in the MasterChef kitchen during Wednesday night's programme.
The judges, Ross Burden, Ray McVinnie and Simon Gault, then revealed the day's challenge as a pressure test using one main ingredient, chicken, and 10 other ingredients from the pantry.
Each contestant had two minutes in the pantry to choose their 10 ingredients, then one hour to cook their dish.
At stake for the best six cooks in this challenge was a night out at Auckland restaurant Euro, and for the person who cooked the worst dish - elimination.
Hobbs made a Chicken Tarte Tatin with raspberries and red wine. The judges thought it sounded unusual, but hoped for the best.
Before facing the judges, Hobbs knew she had been experimental, but was happy with her dish. Unfortunately, the judges didn't agree saying it had raw pastry, overcooked chicken and not much flavour.
Burden said the dish was a very unusual combination that wasn't particularly attractive.
"It's a bit like chicken and raspberry jam. I like the fact you've been brave, but it doesn't really work."
McVinnie thought it tasted nasty and of raw flour, and Gault agreed, adding he thought she'd had a bad day at the office.
Following the judges comments, Hobbs said she was fairly certain hers was the worst dish and she wasn't surprised to be going home: "It was a cooking competition and I stuffed up. I knew that from the moment I put that dish on the plate. I'm so blown away by the talent amongst that group of people, and I can see they have something that I don't.
"I'm a little bit sad about not having gone a bit further. But ultimately, that's the decision. I'm very proud of having got this far, and I've learnt so much."
At stake for the remaining contestants is the MasterChef New Zealand title and more than $100,000 worth of prizes, including a Toyota Prius i-Tech Hybrid car, state-of-the-art Izona appliances from Fisher and Paykel, a stunning range of kitchenware courtesy of Stevens, and an exclusive cookbook deal with Random House.
For Hobbs' thoughts on her eliminaton, click here.
For the winning recipes from the programme, your chance to talk about the eliminations and exclusive Ross Burden MasterClasses, head to the official TVNZ MasterChef New Zealand site
MasterChef New Zealand continues Wednesdays at 7.30pm on TV ONE.
